Mellow

Liam Bently crosses the street with a brown paper bag clutched to his chest. The slush sloshes with every step he takes. He would need to wash his slacks later, otherwise the gray slurry would stain the hems. It is a problem for a future him. For now, he just needs to make sure that Ms. Ferguson gets her groceries.

He pads down the sidewalk towards the apartments. Pulling up his sleeve, he checks his wristwatch. She should be expecting him shortly.

“Hey, hey, Liam.”

Liam freezes, shoulders tensing, then he picks up his pace. He hears the splashing of the slush as the figure hurries to catch up with him.

“Liam. Liam, hey,” he calls, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Liam whirls around, swatting the hand off.

The man who had approached him gives him a sheepish smile. He’s marginally shorter than Liam, falling at five foot nine, but is noticeably more toned. His crow-like hair is a bit messy and his usual tanned skin is several shades lighter than it normally is, but he’s still easily recognizable.

“Uh, sorry about that. You feeling alright?”

Liam scowls. “What are you doing here, Kurt?”

Kurt shrugs and falls into step beside him. “Is it that strange that I would want to visit an old friend?”

“Yes. Yes it is.” The bag crinkles in his grip. “It’s been three years. You’d only be here if you wanted something.”

“Well,” Kurt sighs. “Yeah, I want something.”

They cross another street, Liam glaring at Kurt as a car horn beeps.

“So, what is it?”

Kurt looks away, watching as a car kicks up slush. He scratches the back of his neck. “Well, I get why you left, Liam, I really do, but we gave you time. Three years should be plenty.” He reaches for Liam’s shoulder. “We want you back.”

Liam jerks back, a hiss escaping through his teeth. “Stay away from me.”

“Liam, please. We need to talk about this.”

Liam shakes his head. “No, no, there’s nothing left to talk about. I told you why I left, Sandra signed my papers, and I told you not to call me. I’m not going back.”

They hasten towards a nearby apartment building.

“But you don’t belong here. No one will understand you.”

“And you will? You’re doing such a great job of it now.”

They approach an exterior apartment on the ground floor and Liam knocks before Kurt can reply. A shuffling sound can be heard coming from within the apartment.

Liam drops his scowl, smiling slightly as an old woman with frizzy white hair opens the door. She has on a loose, flowery blouse that's a bit too spring-like for the weather, and knee braces on both legs. She smiles at him.

“Thank you, dear. Would you like to come in for tea?”

“No thank you, Ms. Furguson. I’m a bit occupied today.” He glares at Kurt as he places the bag onto Ms. Furguson’s counter.

“Who is this?” she asks, noticing Kurt. “Is he a friend?”

“Something like that,” he replies, eying him.

Kurt smiles and extends a hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Furguson. Me and Liam are good friends. We have been since school.”

“How sweet. It’s good to know that Liam has some friends his own age. You seem like a nice young man. You make sure he’s taken care of.”

Kurt nods. “I will.”

Liam’s ears flush pink. He looks away. “Have a nice day, Ms. Furguson.”

“You too, dear.”

She hobbles away, the door clicking shut behind her.

They make their way around the building to the parking lot facing the road where they stand around in the slush. No words are exchanged until Kurt starts pestering him again.

“Liam, I just-”

Liam snaps. “What was that!”

Kurt blinks. “What was what?”

Liam snorts. “What was what?” he mimes. “You know what: acting like we’re all close for Ms. Ferguson.”

“You're the one who admitted that we’re friends.”

Liam balls his fists. “What was I supposed to tell her, that you’re just some guy that I used to beat up villains with.”

Kurt snorts. “They were hardly villains, just street thugs. You left before they even would have let you go up against anyone dangerous.”

“So the guy who broke your leg wasn’t dangerous?”

Kurt winces. “That was just bad luck. They did try to keep us away from them when we were starting out, but injury is just an occupational hazard when you’re a superhero.”

“That’s exactly my point. I don’t want to spend every day wondering if I’ll live to see the next one, or if my friends will.” Liam pants. “I want to be normal. Here,” he gestures all around them. “I am normal. I’m Liam, and Aero was just some guy who didn’t last long in the hero business.”

Kurt purses his lips. “But you’re not normal. Where you are doesn’t change who you are.”

Liam curses. “You don’t get it. You don’t freaking get it.”

He sighs, letting out a breath that becomes a fleeting, misty cloud. “I’m done with this, Kurt. I’m not a hero anymore. I was barely one to begin with.”

Kurt interjects. “That’s because you were so new. You already passed sidekick training and the instructors said you had a lot of potential. The team would be more than willing to have you back.”

Liam shakes his head. “I’m not going back.”

“We were supposed to be partners.”

Liam turns, trudging through the slush towards the street. “Life doesn’t always go the way it’s supposed to.”

Kurt trails behind him, dragging his feet through the slush. His trainers are soaked.

Liam takes a turn down the sidewalk, drawing closer to the intersection. Cars are honking and laying on their horns and the slush continues to slosh. He tries to drown it out, all of it. Everything just seems to be adding to a growing ball of pressure in the back of his brain. He clenches and unclenches his hands.

He stops at the crosswalk, the cacophony of car horns growing ever louder as he waits for the symbol to change. Across the street from him, he catches sight of a rather thin-looking woman in a black puffer coat. Her black hair is in a short bob and her dark eyes look heavy from exhaustion. She sips at her coffee, vaguely watching as the cars go by.

The light changes and they begin to cross. They had nearly met at the middle when it happened. A screeching sound bellows out from a speeding car, the brakes doing little against the slush. Any semblance of the exhaustion on the woman’s face is replaced by wide-eyed terror.

Heart beating rapidly in his chest, Liam grabs her with one arm, pushing with the other. The air congeals, forming a semi-solid wall. The car slams into them.

They skid across the street, bodies stopping near the front bumper of a silver truck.

Car doors swing open and shoes splash through the slush. The world blurs and sways. Liam groans, pressing his palms against the slush. Bile rises in his throat.

Several people are gathered around the woman and one has already dialed 9-1-1. Blood runs down her head, dripping and mixing with the gray-black slush.

Liam pukes, hacking and coughing. Everything is a haze.

Someone grabs his shoulder. He keeps his head down, his damp, walnut hair creating a dirty curtain around his face.

“Hey, kid. Can you hear me?” It’s a man’s voice, someone older.

Liam groans, his arms and legs shaking.

A splash sounds behind them, startling the man. He stands up. “Who are-who are you?”

Liam sputters as he’s dragged back to his feet. Something’s pressed against his face. Liam claws at the damp fabric, but Kurt pulls him into his side.

“Fear not, citizen. An ambulance is on its way.”

The middle-aged man steps back, looking between the two younger men. “Is he going to be alright?” His gaze lingers on Liam’s face. “He one of you?”

Kurt smiles, pearly white teeth on full display. “No need to worry about Aero, Sir., our medical teams are more than capable of handling a few bruises.”

The man looks skeptical, brow furrowing, but he nods and turns his attention back to the woman.

Liam shoves away from Kurt, but he pulls him back in before launching off the ground. His stomach lurches.

“Hey, hey, you did good, Liam.” Kurt touches down in the parking lot. He catches Liam before he can fall into the slush. He frowns. “We really should get you to one of the team’s doctors. You’ve gotten slower.”

Liam scowls but the energy isn’t there. Unsteadily, he peers over his shoulder in the direction of the intersection. “What about the woman?”

“She’s fine, Liam. You saved her. You got enough of a wall up that the car took most of the force.” He pauses, listening to the wailing of sirens. “She scraped her head. Head wounds bleed a lot. They almost always look worse than they are. Worst case scenario, she has a concussion and needs some stitches.”

He pats Liam on the back. “Everything is fine. We just need to pack up your stuff and head back to headquarters.” He starts wandering towards the apartments. “Which one is yours? We’ll only be able to grab a few essentials for now. We’ll send a van later.”

Liam jerks out of his daze. “What-what makes you think I’m going with you?”

Kurt stops, staring back at him. “Come on, Liam. I thought-you just used your powers in public. You can’t stay here.”

He feels sick, like an ice ball is rolling around his gut. He clutches his stomach. His breath comes faster, yet he still feels faint. Everything-the past three years…

“Liam?”

He tucks his head, tears welling up. “Apartment 13. The suitcase is in the closet.”

Kurt nods, frowning. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. Are you going to be okay?” Liam nods and he disappears around the building, wasting no time.

Liam flops down into the slush, tears streaming down his face. These few minutes are all that remains of the life he made over the past three years. He sobs silently, waiting for everything to be taken away.